Bob Paris, Legendary Bodybuilder

For the past week or so I’ve been obsessed with the story of Bob Paris. I have massive respect and admiration for this man, not so much for his godlike physique but more so for his relentless lifelong quest for authenticity and integrity.

Some Background

Back in 2008 when Phong and I were attending the after-hours English class by Mrs Kiều H ương, we would always sit in the back of the class and share pictures of bodybuilders.

Yep, two teenage boys in an English class staring at pictures of half naked, oily men. We never paid attention to the lesson; the muscle freaks were far more interesting to us.

I had a little mp4 device called iRiver E100 at the time, and Phong had a classic iPod.

I’d load up entire folders of bodybuilder pictures, and we’d marvel at the godlike physiques of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, Shawn Ray, Dorian Yates, and the likes.

But amongst hundreds of those pictures, I still distinctively remember one that stood out in particular: Bob Paris, a bodybuilder from the 1980s.

See for yourself. I was stunned by the symmetry and proportions, the shape, definition and fullness of his muscles, the balance between hardness and vascularity. And not to mention that classic masculine handsome look.

To me back then (and still now), this physique represents the epitome of male beauty.

Incidentally, Bob Paris was voted “the most aesthetic bodybuilder of the 20th century” by Flex Magazine in 2006, so clearly I’m not the only one.

Bob Paris Now

Fast forward 10 years, I recently came across Bob Paris’s blog. His story is even more intriguing than I could ever imagine.

After spending some time reading his blog, I’ve got some key takeaway facts:

• The reason Bob began bodybuilding was that he was a lost young man, and bodybuilding gave him that regimented lifestyle with a clear direction. He also happened to excel at it.
• He was adamantly against steroids. That strikes me as hypocrisy at first, but then I watched an interview in which he openly admitted taking gear as an evil necessity more than anything. He had to use chemical enhancement in order to maintain the muscle mass. He didn’t enjoy the steroids or the muscle mass at all, and would gladly get rid of them if he could. Sounds paradoxical right? A bodybuilder who despises muscles and enhancement!? But read on; it makes sense.
• Bob was the first bodybuilder to come out publicly as gay during a time when the stigma against homosexuality was overwhelming in the U.S (1980s).
• At that time, his career was flourishing. He had just won Mr America and Mr Universe, two of the most prestigious bodybuilding contests.

• As a result of the homosexuality announcement, he lost 80% of his contracts, endorsements, and bookings.
• He later emigrated to Canada and has been living a private life with his husband and his dog.
• His body is now… shrunken. He does moderate resistance training now, but nowhere near the level he used to.
• He says in his blog that he’s both an artistic and athletic person whose ultimate goal is the search for a fulfilling life. A life of authenticity. Bobybuilding is merely one part of his identity; he now enjoys hiking, writing, being close to nature, among many other pursuits.

So for the past couple of days, I have been fascinated by this man. It is clear that he values neither fame nor wealth. His primary interest seems to be the search for his identity — even from an extremely young age, he has been driven by the question of what makes him him.

This is the definition of bravery. The man refused to live his life as a lie; he gave up status, wealth, and vanity in exchange for integrity. How many can do that?

Unlike many bodybuilders who are utterly obsessed with their appearance, Bob is actually annoyed by his muscularity. He only enjoyed the structured and progress-oriented nature of bodybuilding. The muscle mass was more of an undesired byproduct that he’d happily get rid of if he could.

Again, this just goes to show how different he is. Most men bodybuild for attention and vanity; this man does it for the discipline and pure enjoyment. He just happened to become one of the best of all time!

What I am most impressed with is how peaceful and content he is with this life right now. After years in the limelight, having climbed to the peak of career success and being the subject of public controversy, he is now just enjoying his life in beautiful British Columbia with his husband and his dog. I’m freaking happy for him. Always glad to see a man coming to terms with his true self and finding his inner peace. I do hope I could achieve that blissful fulfillment one day.

Oh, another thing. This guy is eloquent and articulate as hell. Check out how well-spoken he is in this 1983 interview. I love how his enunciation comes across as both soft and powerful at the same time.